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Introduction

Sukima

Vertical Glimpses of the Floating World
June 1 - November 25, 2018

“Floating world pictures,” or ukiyo-e (浮世絵), thrived in Japan during the Edo period (1603–1868), mainly in the form of mass-produced color woodcuts. The students who curated this exhibition chose to present a selection of ukiyo-e prints in vertical format. The Japanese word sukima (隙間) refers to a crack or gap, such as the narrow space created by a partially opened sliding door. These prints produce the impression of glimpsing through a door ajar, exciting the viewer’s imagination.
Tall, narrow ukiyo-e prints (about 28 inches high by 5 inches wide) were called hashira-e (柱絵), or pillar images, because they originally hung on pillars in the interiors of traditional homes as affordable substitutes for painted scrolls. Pillar prints flourished in the 1700s and early 1800s, later giving way to designs stretching over two or three vertically stacked sheets (each about 15 inches by 10 inches). The extended vertical shape prompted designers to create daring compositional arrangements across all major ukiyo-e genres: pictures of beautiful women and actors, warriors and ghosts, close-up views of nature, and images reflecting popular beliefs. All these genres are represented here.

This exhibition was organized by a class of RISD undergraduate students led by Professor Elena Varshavskaya, as part of an ongoing collaboration between RISD faculty and the RISD Museum. Students selected the works for display from the museum’s collection, conducted art historical research, and authored essays and catalogue entries for the volume accompanying the exhibition.

Selected Objects

Keisai Eisen

Courtesan with a Letter (Fumi o motsu yujo), 1830s

Kikukawa Eizan

Courtesan on Parade (Oiran dochu), 1830s

Suzuki Harunobu

Parody of the Immortal Kinkō (Kinkō sennin), ca. 1768

Suzuki Harunobu

Courtesan and Kamuro (Yujo to kamuro), ca. 1770

Suzuki Harunobu

Listening to the Cricket on the Veranda (Engawa no mushikiki), ca. 1770

Attributed to Fahri of Bursa

Papercut from a Poetry Album, late 1500s - early 1600s

Fahri of Bursa

Papercut from a Poetry Album, late 1500s - early 1600s

Kitao Shigemasa

Dragon and Tiger (Ryuko), 1770s

Katsukawa Shuncho

Courtesan and Kamuro (Yujo to kamuro), early 1790s

Utagawa Hiroshige

Crane's Nest and Rising Sun (Hinode sugomori no tsuru), 1845

Utagawa Hiroshige

Hawk on Pine (Matsu ni taka), 1852

Utagawa Kunisada (Toyokuni III)

Matano Gorō Kagehisa Dropping a Rock on Sanada Yoichi Yoshisada, 1810s

Utagawa Kuniyoshi 歌川 国芳

Hawk on Pine (Matsu ni taka), 1830s

Isoda Koryūsai

Golden Pheasant on Pine (Matsu ni kinkei), ca. 1780

Utagawa Toyoharu

The Seven Gods of Good Fortune in Their Treasure Ship (Shichifukujin takarabune), 1770s

Torii Kiyonaga

Beauty and Willow (Bijin to yanagi), ca. 1780

Katsukawa Shuntei

The Warriors Sato Tadanobu and Yokawa Kakuhan (Sato Tadanobu; Yokawa Kakuhan), ca. 1800

Toyohara Kunichika

Actors Onoe Kikugoro V as Okiku and Ichikawa Danjuro IX as Asayama Tessan in The Mansion of Plates and the Cursed Makeup Mirror (Sarayashiki kesho no sugatami), 1892

More objects +

Exhibition Checklist

Sukima : Vertical Glimpses of the Floating World

June 1 - November 25, 2018
View Checklist PDF

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